Unveiling the Past: Palimpsestic Memory in All the Lives We Never Lived

This paper explores the broader scheme of the contradictory concept of memory and history interspersed in All the Lives We Never Lived by Anuradha Roy. The study entails a comprehensive reading of this South Asian novel utilising Max Silverman’s concept of palimpsestic memory. It focuses on the interconnectedness of memory, history, and temporality in a narrative that operates in the context of two spaces, India and Dutch-held Bali. The mobility between these spaces shapes the experiences of Gayatri and Myshkin, the mother-son duo. Roy’s incorporation of varied allusions and intertextualities maps out a significant temporal journey from pre-independence India and Dutch-held Bali during the 1930s to post-independence India. Myshkin is shown writing his memoir, recapitulating his lost past in 1992. This study explores the superimposed images of memory narrative from personal and collective stances, indicating its palimpsestic nature. Finally, this study incorporates transnational memories, challenging the traditional confines of national memory.